Page 15 of Of Blood and Smoke

“Some things,” he muttered. “Not everything.”

I bristled. “Don’t play with words with me, Micha.” I knew he was still upset I’d let a human witness go the other night and his snide comment let me know he hadn’t forgotten. It was the perfect moment for him to remind me of the error of my ways. “Summon our custodians.”

He removed his phone from the inside pocket of his jacket and lifted it to his ear. Soon, we’d have a small gathering of Lesser demons here to clean up our mess and remove the corpse. Not waiting for the crew, we exited the alley.

SEVEN

Josiah

A small human had witnessed our disposal of an errant employee at a festival last night and yes, I’d let her go. She’d had no idea Micha was directly on the opposite side of the fence, mere inches from her and ready to cut her young life short.

I wasn’t known for mercy and while I’d felt the anxiety rolling off her in waves, I could tell she’d assumed the spectacle was part of the circus horror act that had been roaming the crowds. She was innocent, and any fear she felt she’d swiftly dismissed as part of the entertainment.

She wasn’t quite as afraid as she should’ve been, and I’d detected a hint of intrigue within her when she’d stopped to watch. We’d followed her, keeping to the shadows while she made her way back to her friend. She’d posed no threat to us. The only danger she had been in was of me sinking my teeth into her creamy skin.

She’d possessed the most delicious scent, a rich vanilla with a hint of spice. All I’d been able to do was imagine myself grabbing her thick tresses and bending her will, devouring her, while her big eyes looked up at me with rapture.

“No witnesses, remember?” Micha interrupted my thoughts, a sardonic smile gracing his lips. “You liked that girl,” he remarked, and I didn’t answer. Whether I liked her or not, it didn’t matter.

Our driver brought the car up to the curb and we got in, shadows shifting behind us as our tracks were covered. Boccelli’s body would be consumed by low-level demons who enjoyed human flesh, and any remains tossed into the New York harbor.

As the car pulled away from the curb, I said, “You’d do well to remember your own advice.”

Micha glanced out the window, resting his arm on the edge of the door below the pane. “I may bring her on as my assistant, the woman I’m seeing. Perhaps skip the preliminary interview and just bring her on.”

Startled, I turned to him quickly. “Do you think that’s wise?”

I knew we were hiring; job fairs were being held in the conference room of a nearby hotel and recruiting websites had employment opportunities listed. We had our best recruiters sifting through the massive piles of resumes.

He tapped his gloves against his leg. “I’d like to keep her close.”

Interesting.It wasn’t like my friend to entertain humans to this degree. The behavior wasn’t typical for either of us with the survival of our species being dependent upon mating with other vampires or demons. Another crossbreed would be the ideal mate, but the surving members were all male.

“I see,” I muttered, shaking my head. “Don’t you think that’s counterproductive?”

Micha let out a deep sigh. “If I can’t have her, I can at least help her.” He grinned. “And I can taste her whenever I want.”

My lips pressed together, and I peered out the window. “Whatever you desire my friend.”

He knew it was unlikely I’d ever deny him a thing and I had to trust him. He’d never let me down and would cease whatever relationship he developed with the woman when necessary and I’d be here to help nurse his broken heart. If it came to that, and it likely would.

Our friendship was deep and enduring, formed when we were young children, and crossed lines many humans wouldn’t understand. Crossbreeds and most vampires were not shy with their affections and provided whatever comfort their companions may need. Physical familiarity had proven useful for interrogations and torture and neither of us were shy.

Micha nodded a thank you to me as the driver came to a stop outside the building containing his penthouse. “We begin interviews tomorrow, don’t forget,” he said, climbing out.

As if I could forget. Our hiring process was rigorous, with both of us generally attending at least one stage of the interview. It was tiresome, but important.

Failure on any team member’s part, or our own, was unacceptable.

EIGHT

Della

Footsteps, shuffling, and voices I didn’t recognize woke me up. “Melinda,” I called out to my dad’s caretaker as I hopped out of bed.

Brett opened my door. “Get dressed, it's your dad.” He turned to leave.

“What do you mean it's my dad, what’s going on?”

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